The present invention relates in part to a sling device for supporting a portion of a person. The sling may be used over a bed and is structured to reduce the incidence and severity of bedsores. The present invention is also directed to a mattress system incorporating the sling.
Currently, there are rotating mattresses on the market for approximately $4,000 to $30,000, but they do not provide for elimination of wastes. Medicaid currently requires nurses' aides in nursing homes to attend to 10 patients per shift. However, an incontinent patient with a severe waste problem may require 2 aides to rotate and clean them, using 2-5 towels, in addition to 1-4 sheets, and can take up to ½ hour. If all 10 patients require such attention, this would fill 5 hours of an aide's 8 hour shift. As a result, due to the physical effort of lifting heavy patients and the time involved, aides are not able to fully address the problem and many patients in nursing homes sit in their waste for up to 3-4 hours. Ultimately, the waste permeates and infects, or further exacerbates bedsores located near patients' lower spines. This common occurrence does not allow patients' bedsores to heal and is extremely inhumane.
Therefore, there is a need for a cost-effective mattress medical device that allows for ease of rotating a bedridden patient and effectuating the disposal of the patient's waste, to prevent and treat bedsores.